I ran into Barnes & Noble on Sunday to buy the latest issue of Elle Decor.

While I was there I decided to take a glance at the 'New Arrivals' table and this one caught my eye. I read the blurb and thought it looked OK. I was in the mood for a good 'beach read' so I wrote down the title in my little pink book and when I got home I checked out the reader reviews on Amazon.

They looked pretty good, so I downloaded it.

Y'all, this is such a fun book.

Now, don't get me wrong. As books go, this was the literary equivalent of a bag of Cheetos. And it goes down just as fast and easy as a bag of Cheetos and has about as much nutritional value. But sometimes that's good thing.

It's a fantasy, a mystery and a romance novel all wrapped up in cute little chick lit dust jacket. All the women are witches and all the men are HOT.

And you know there's some sort of evil in town.

Oh, dear!

I could not put it down!

I read on Sunday evening until I absolutely had to go to sleep because of that tiresome little necessity I call a 'job' - and I knew I had to get up and go to it...

Then I took it to Court with me on Monday so I could read it while I waited. I came home for my lunch hour so I could continue to read... and, I have to admit, I kept stealing 5 minutes here and there all afternoon so I could read it on my iPhone under my desk!

I just couldn't help it! I was dying to find out what would happen.

The cool thing about it is its the first of a series - which I am now officially going to read - apparently.

I mean, what else am I supposed to do?

I've been SUCKED IN!

If you're looking for a light, fun, entertaining 'beach' read, you may want to check this out.

Here are a few current favorites - nothing exotic and they're all pretty similar....

First up - the Kate Spade Vanston Maryclare - very simple, very classic, very roomy. It'll be beautiful forever. And Kate Spade has good sales.

Lately I'm loving Tory Burch more and more. I have never purchased one of her handbags, but it's only a matter of time. She has 2 that I'm currently in love with.

First, the Robinson Tote - it couldn't be more perfect if it tried. Sleek, beautiful, classic and in several delicious colors. My only criticism (and why I really haven't bought one) is that its too big for my needs. And I know she makes a smaller one but I want it in Poppy Red (to match my wallet) and I can't find one in captivity!!!!

And this one is new for fall, the Tory Burch Tallis Satchel. Y'all, I've never met a satchel that I didn't love...

Then we have the first arrivals from Coach's Chelsea Collection - to be more fully introduced this fall. I have been shopping for a Luggage colored bag for YEARS. Years. I'm heading over to check this one out as soon as possible because nobody does 'Luggage' like Coach. This is their Chelsea Leather Satchel:

And finally, Rebecca Minkoff's new Cupid bag. Kick ass leather and mouthwatering hardware. This woman hits it out of the park!

I look at art all the time and as acquisitions go, this was pretty inexpensive. But I just loved it as soon as I saw it - and the way I know this is that all of her paintings are a bit similar but when I go to her website, I can always pick 'mine' out of a crowd.

I love the color combination and I just think it's girly and fun and yet it has a sophistication to it, at least to me.

It arrived last week and immediately found it's home on my mantle - where it provides a perfect little pop of color. I haven't had it framed yet because I can't bear to part with it long enough to take it in!

I love, love, love 'The Sun Also Rises' but that is the extent of my ability to make it through Ernest Hemingway unless you count 'A Moveable Feast' - which is kinda different so I don't count it....

Anyway -

Since I've been to Key West and visited the Hemingway House on 2 separate occasions, I've grown a little nostalgic for Hemingway's work.

I had especially thought that I might want to read 'The Old Man and The Sea' because - I don't know - I thought it might remind me of Key West or Cuba (to which I've never been, obviously (we're not allowed to go there) but where I'd love to visit in this life). I thought it might evoke the islands in a way that I would like.

So I was over at Barnes & Noble browsing around the other night and 'The Old Man and the Sea' was on the 'Summer Reads' table.

Did you know that it's only 50 pages long? I had no idea! I thought I must be looking at it the wrong way and it was actually the Cliff Notes or something. I mean it won a PULITZER. Fifty pages and a PULITZER?

But it is. It's only 50 pages. (Note to my high school English teacher, Mrs. Owens: Why couldn't you have assigned this instead of "The Scarlet Letter'?)

So I thought 'Well, this must be a hell of a book'.

And I also figured that I could take 50 pages of anything and then I can say "Yes. I read The Old Man and The Sea."

Mission accomplished, charming readers.

Are you envious? I thought so.

Anywhooo...

It's about an old man, the sea, and this gigantic marlin he catches (it takes him 2 days). And the whole time I'm reading it, as he's fighting the fish and it's pulling him further and further out to sea, the West Virginian in me is thinking:

"That's great, Santiago. But just how do you think yer gonna git that thang home?"

Seriously. He'd been fishing all his life and that little problem never crossed his mind?

Well, he caught the fish but he had a big problem on the way home. With sharks. Not good. Bless his heart. I felt so sorry for him. All that work and then the sharks ate it. So he sails home with the fish's carcass strapped to his little boat. He's exhausted and disgusted and just goes to bed to recover and all the other men admire him for catching it to begin with.

*blink* *blink*

I didn't think it was the least bit remarkable.

I know its an allegory and I read a critical review which argued that the work must be read in tandem with Hemingway's other books - after which it becomes the decisive step in elevating Hemingway's 'philosophy' on Manhood to the level of a religion.....

What?

Between us, I sometime wonder if Ernest had some issues in his pants, if you know what I mean...

I just think that if you have to struggle SO hard to find meaning and enlightenment in 50 pages, it was never there to begin with.

It occurred to me that I don't think I've ever posted pictures of it. So here's a snap:

It looks a little orange in this picture (due to my limited photography skills) but it's actually hot pink.

Or it was.

When I first bought this place, I wanted this room to make a statement because the rest of my house is so neutral. And I'm happy that I gave the pink a shot. But it was too overpowering for that little space and it just didn't work.

It was sort of like being in an oven. Or a phone booth in hell.

Either way, not the ambiance I was hoping for....

But changing it proved difficult because I didn't know what I wanted to do.

Several people suggested wallpaper but I didn't want to make that kind of investment in there.

So I agonized about paint.

Then I saw these pictures in House Beautiful:

The color is called 'Driftscape Tan' by Benjamin Moore. It's tan on the chip but it has 'amethyst' undertones. I fell in love with it from the moment I saw it.

The upshot is that I've always wanted to paint the powder room purple - without, you know - painting it purple....

This is why I'm hoping the Driftscape Tan will work.

Here's a shot of the paint chip:

As you can see, it's not 'purple' on the chip but from what I read, it looks purple on the wall. In a 'complex color' sort of way.

Yes. I know. I think way, way too much about paint....

But I'm hoping this color will get it done. I figure at worse it'll just look 'tan'.

And the really, really cool thing I'm excited about is this rug I just picked up for in there from One King's Lane:

$22.00 y'all! That's not a typo. Twenty-two dollars!

I'm super excited about it.

I think that in order to get this paint to pull purple I need to put some purple accessories around it.

I know that everyone is talking about Huma Abedin because of her husband's (Congressman Anthony Weiner - in case you live under a rock) almost certainly ill advised behavior of late.

I'm not here to talk about him.

Or to talk about what I think she should do with him.

I have bigger fish to fry.

I am here to talk about her accessories.

Basically, I would like to own her necklace, her earrings, her sunglasses and the dress she is wearing. I would also like to have her hair (and if I were being totally honest her lips but then we'd maybe be getting into a weird area).

And I'd be willing to take just about anything else I've ever seen her wearing - in case she's looking to clean out her closet.

Near the start of this outstanding novel of psychological suspense from Edgar-winner Lippman (Life Sentences), Eliza Benedict, a 38-year-old married mother of two living in suburban Maryland, receives a letter from Walter Bowman, the man who kidnapped her the summer she was 15 and is now on death row. The narrative shifts between the present and that long ago summer, when Eliza involuntarily became a part of Walter's endless road trip, including the fateful night when he picked up another teenage girl, Holly Tackett. Soon after Walter killed Holly, Eliza was rescued and taken home. Eliza must now balance a need for closure with a desire to protect herself emotionally. Walter wants something specific from her, but she has no idea what, and she's not sure that she wants to know. All the relationships, from the sometimes contentious one between Eliza and her sister, Vonnie, to the significantly stranger one between Walter and Barbara LaFortuny, an advocate for prisoners, provide depth and breadth to this absorbing story.

Overall, I liked the book and it was an entertaining read. It definitely held my interest, although it's definitely 'ripped from the headlines'. I sort of felt like I was reading an article in Glamour magazine or watching an episode of Law and Order. It certainly made for a great book club discussion and it seemed like our members mostly enjoyed it.

This book did make me think about the nature of our selves. The things I didn't like about Eliza - her acquiescence, her seeming malleability, her reactive personality - were ultimately the aspects of her personality that kept her alive. They served her well during her ordeal but I found myself wondering if they had continued to serve her in her life.

So one thing that I totally crapped out on in Paris was my search for a new wallet.

I had hoped to love the Salvatore Ferragamo that I found on line, but when I actually did find it in Paris - I didn't love it.

Back to the drawing board....

I swung by Coach a couple of weeks ago while shopping with The New Mrs. Barr and I discovered that I rather like their new Kristin Slim Envelope wallet. I like the size and I'm kind of in love with the leather and the hardware.

So I got one.

Problem was, I got home and the leather had a flaw (or rather was sewn wrong)... So it had to go back. And the only other one they had was the floor model and it looked worn.

Hi! I'm Tonya and this is my blog. I am an attorney and I live with two very spoiled Pembroke Welsh Corgis in Charlotte, North Carolina. As somewhat of a surprise to myself - and others - I have reached a certain age and failed to marry. Horrors! Don't worry, though, I'm not dead yet. There may be hope for me. In the meantime, I've decided to explore the life that you have when you are a girl with no husband and no babies. What happens when the choices you make lead you away from the life you thought you'd have? What sights can be seen from the road less taken? This is where I'll share my thoughts on life, love, law, corgis and my never ending quest for the perfectly appointed home.